Penny is a qualified nurse, social worker and teacher and first became a case manager with social services in 1993, later becoming an operations manager across two teams. Then Penny moved into commissioning, with both health and social services. She became a brain injury case manager in 2006, and is now an independent case manager managing a mixed case load of children and adults with complex needs, both pre- and post-settlement. She is passionate about supporting a clearer understanding of the impact acquired brain injury has on clients and their families, as well as the wider community.
Penny was a member of BABICM Council from 2008 – 2014 and was one of the original four members of the Professional Standards Group who created the initial BABICM Competencies, later becoming Membership Secretary and overseeing the instigation of the case management classifications used today.
Sheila has worked with children; young people and their families for over 25 years. Initially working in education with children with learning; emotional and behaviour difficulties, qualifying as a Social Worker in 2007 and became a Senior Practitioner in 2009. Shiela has worked as a case manager since January 2016 working with children; young people and adults who have had brain injuries. Sheila has a good understanding and insight into the challenges and difficulties that these can present particularly with children and their development and education.
Toby holds the Diploma in Social Work, the PQ 1 award and a Post Graduate Certificate in Public Services Management.
Having undertaken a vocational route within case management and children and adult services, over the last thirty three years; Toby has worked within many multi-cultural environments, has managed a multidiscipline disabled children’s service in the East Midlands and Project Managed the Aiming High agenda, for disabled children and young people in Nottingham City. Toby is a skilled effective and knowledgeable designated safeguarding lead and case manager.
Toby has undertaken a range of reports in respect of adults, young people and children. He maintains a good sense of humour, has transferable skills and is able to prioritise his own and other people’s workloads, where and when required.
Having gained substantial experience of case management work Toby specialises in disabled children and adults’ assessment and can support families through a range of issues. This includes completing complex immediate needs assessments, court work, child protection assessments and assessment of need in relation to childhood and adult disability.
Toby has substantial experience of key legislation and the issues pertinent to a range of clients and of allocating and managing projects, task groups, managing budgets, case work and of supervising key personnel /staff.
Gillian’s professional expertise is based on over 30 years’ full-time working experience since qualifying as a Speech and Language Therapist in 1979. She has worked as a Brain Injury Case Manager and as a Care Expert since 1998. Gillian works predominantly with adults and children who have sustained traumatic brain injury or who have complex neurological conditions. She has an active caseload of clients for whom she is responsible for coordinating care and rehabilitation, commissioning and working with support workers, therapists and professionals from education, social care and mental health services.
Gillian has worked in adult neurorehabilitation centres, in teaching and community hospitals, schools and in client’s homes, and for 3 years was a Local Authority panel member responsible for the assessment and allocation of resources for children with special educational needs. She gained a Masters Degree in Healthcare Management in 1995, and was a visiting Lecturer and an Examiner for 2 universities on their Clinical Management Masters Degree programmes.
For over 20 years Gillian has also prepared expert witness reports on the care, case management, equipment, and the therapy and support needs of children and adults who have an acquired brain injury, or a physical or learning disability. She is a Registered Practitioner member of the British Association of Brain Injury Case Managers and serves on the Children and Young People’s Subgroup.
Emily qualified as a general nurse in 1996, then specialised in mental health, qualifying in 1998 and has had a wide mental health nursing career within inpatient, acute general hospital and community settings.
Working with young people and their families has always been an area of interest, with previous experience as part of an early onset psychosis community team and joint working with CAMHS (Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services) and statutory services with vulnerable adult clients and their families.
Emily became a brain injury case manager with Head First in September 2016, providing case management support to brain injured clients and their families, working with adults, teenagers and children. Emily has been a senior case manager within the team since January 2000 in recognition of the level of work undertaken with complex clients both pre and post litigation.
Emily is a BABICM member and will be undertaking her advanced membership assessment later this year.
Emily is passionate about her role in advocating for young people and families, in ensuring that they have access to quality services that facilitate optimal rehabilitation and quality of life and is especially interested in the overlap between brain injury and mental health.
Promoting and supporting positive mental health remains a crucial part of her role.
Mary joined AKA Case Management in March 2019 as a Paediatric Clinical Case Manager and our Paediatric Lead. Mary has a wealth of experience and knowledge as a paediatric practitioner, supporting children and their families. Her other specialisms include brain injury, Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy and complex care.
She is a Registered Practitioner Member of BABICM and was joint chair of the BABICM Children and Young People Sub-Group. She is also currently studying for a Master’s degree in Counselling and Psychotherapy. Mary is also a member of the Royal College of Nursing and is registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council.
As one of AKA Case Management’s North West case managers, Mary is based in Manchester. She also works proactively with our other case managers and teams across the UK; sharing her expertise and supporting them with any referrals involving children and young people.
Mary somehow finds time to also organise her own trips volunteering around the world, mostly working with children and their extended families! She also volunteers for a children’s charity for vulnerable children and teenagers.
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Daryl’s professional working experiences with complex children and young people led him to begin his pathway into Social Work in 2013.
In 2017, he moved to the Local Authority Children’s Disability team, Sensory team, where he worked with deaf, blind and DeafBlind children and young people, who often had other additional and complex needs including neurological conditions.
This was due to my own personal experience of my daughter being born with a brain injury.
With this now being a strong passion in my life, and to further progress my career and knowledge base, both personally and professionally, I moved to Head First as a case manager, where I continue to help other families in similar situations to myself.
Daryl also volunteer’s with a service that provide support to parents, families & friends of those affected by HIE (hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy).
Additionally, Daryl has vast experience and involvement with EHCP’s. He is due to complete further training on this to expand his knowledge and therefore be able to share this with children and young people in order to achieve better outcomes for them.
Vicky joined ACM in 2014 moving from employment with a Local Authority as a Social Worker. Within her social work role Vicky worked in Children’s Disability Services. Vicky’s case management role at ACM is to provide bespoke case management input for children, young people and adults with brain injuries, spinal injuries or other complex disabilities, who require care, support and rehabilitation. She works with clients both pre and post settlement of personal injury and medical negligence awards. Vicky is involved in all aspects of the case management role, and is an experienced report writer, preparing immediate needs assessment reports and costed case management reports. She has experience in the coordination of services and professionals,independent living trials, managing 24/7 support teams as well as support worker recruitment and
line management. In her senior case manager role, Vicky supervises a small number of other case managers.
Vicky’s previous social work role comprised of working with a complex case load, which included managing complex safeguarding issues, investigating child protection concerns, managing child
protection plans, writing court reports, attending family court and coordinating large multidisciplinary teams. She worked closely with children, young people and families to help resolve these complex issues. The children and young people accessing the social work service had a range of complex needs including neurological conditions, cerebral palsy, autistic spectrum disorders,
life limiting conditions etc. As part of her social work training Vicky also gained experience with a Local Authority service which worked with young people who displayed sexually harmful and problematic behaviours.
Prior to qualifying as a Social Worker Vicky set up a support package to enable a young man with complex needs to live independently in the community and live a life which achieved his individual
goals. She also worked with an advocacy group, supporting young people with disabilities to have their voices heard around a variety of issues, and with a private service for people with autistic spectrum disorders and mental health conditions teaching life skills. In addition, Vicky has workedin medium secure forensic units with clients with brain injuries and learning disabilities as well as
mental health issues, and within a residential school for young people with cerebral palsy with complex medical needs.
Vicky provides Expert Witness reports for litigation purposes on the care and case management needs of adults and young people following traumatic brain injury and other complex neurological
conditions.
Dr Angela Simcox is a consultant paediatric neuropsychologist with over 15 years experience working with children with brain injuries. She runs Indigo Neuropsychology, an independent practice providing assessment and intervention for children, young people and their families. Angela completed her clinical doctorate in Leeds before working in the paediatric services at King’s College and Great Ormond Street Hospitals in London, and James Cook Hospital in Middlesbrough.
In 2009, she opened a child development clinic in Cambodia, where she worked for five years. Angela is the Treasurer of the British Neuropsychological Society Division of Neuropsychology Paediatric Faculty. She runs clinics in the North of England and London, supervises psychologists and trainees, and is involved in teaching and training.